


that which moves the sun and the other stars

by shairiru



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-14
Updated: 2014-12-14
Packaged: 2018-02-27 18:51:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2702747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shairiru/pseuds/shairiru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He would wait lifetimes for Shintarou.</p>
            </blockquote>





	that which moves the sun and the other stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [0ocrystalo0](https://archiveofourown.org/users/0ocrystalo0/gifts).



> Sorry in advance for what you are about to read.

Akashi Seijuurou grew up with the responsibility of inheriting the throne from his father burdening his little shoulders. But as the Akashis go, they do not quiver in front of trivial matters such as these. It is only natural that he knows the constitution, the law, the languages, the arts, the sciences, the politics, the economics and the philosophies at a very young age. 

 

The presence of his mother has helped him. When he feels lost, all he needs is to look at his mother’s smiling face and he feels a lot better already. When he feels worried, all he needs is his mother’s arms around him and her comforting words, and he feels like he can conquer all that he is taking. When he can’t sleep from the fear of having nightmares over the huge shadow that looms before him in his future, all it takes is his mother’s kiss on his forehead, and all of his anxiety goes away. She is his happiness. She is his strength.

 

But when she is taken from him by a severe ailment, all that light and warmth seemed to disappear. And he thinks how it would be hard to face his future without an inspiration.

 

Not for long and he thinks he has found it again in the form of an awkward green-haired boy who wears a hesitant smile. But it takes him some more time, before he actually realizes it.

 

 

“Your Highness!” 

 

A boy runs immediately to his direction when he fell ungracefully from his horse. They are quite far away from the castle when they ran into a rabbit. It scared the horse and sent it into a frenzy, causing him to fall for the first time since he has ridden. 

 

“Your Highness, are you alright?” 

 

The horse has now calmed down, but his heart has still not from the humiliation.

 

“Just leave me,” he turns away and tries stands on his own, but the sudden pain he feels on his limbs makes him fall for a second time. He looks at it then, and he sees scratches on his knees and his arms. They aren’t deep, but they are surely to attract unnecessary attention. 

 

What would his father say if he founds out he fell from his horse? A king never falls from where he is sitting up high, that’s what he has always been told.

 

“No one must see this,” he mutters to himself.

 

“Let me help, Your Highness,” the boy speaks again, “Our quarters are near. I can clean your wounds.”

 

“You can?” he looks at the boy closely this time, his green hair made even more ridiculous by the sunlight. He looks dusty and ragged, no one in their right minds would think he can do something about cleaning wounds.

 

“It’s just a simple wound. Nothing a soap and water and a little disinfectant can’t clean.”

 

Despite his appearance, he seems to know what he’s talking about. Years of training has taught Seijuurou to judge a person well by his actions and his words, and his training is telling him this boy knows. He lets the boy help him up and walk him to their quarters. The boy prepares a bucket of water, a soap, a bottle of disinfectant and a clean cloth, and proceeds to clean him up. The way the boy handles him with utmost gentleness strikes him as odd, for it’s the first time someone besides his mother has cared for him in such a manner.

 

“Who are you?” he asks, partly out of curiosity and partly to fill the silence around them.

 

“I’m a stable boy,” he answers, his hands still carefully cleaning around Seijuurou’s wounds, “I care for your horse and some others. Sometimes I do errands for the servants.”

 

“No, I meant your name. What’s your name?”

 

His hands stop moving then, and he looks at Seijuurou with wide eyes.

 

“My name?”

 

“Don’t you have one?”

 

“I do, Your Highness,but...I’m just surprised you’d want to know. I’m just a stable boy, after all.”

 

“I was taught to care for the people who serves me, it just makes sense for me to know their names.”

 

“Shintarou,” he answers quietly, returning to the task at hand. But Seijuurou does not miss the slight blush that creeps on the other boy’s face. “Midorima Shintarou.”

 

 

One afternoon, he goes back to the stables to ride his horse and finds Shintarou sitting on a corner, holding a thin, worn-out book. His face is crumpled in a frustrated frown and there is sweat lining his forehead. He’s about to order him to help him with preparing his horse when he hears him read out loud.

 

“Ki-kinig-kinigits of ta-tahe ki-kinig are lo-lo-loyal a-amid..anid...anid b-ba-ra-ve---”

 

“Shintarou.”

 

The boy jerks in surprise. He quickly hides the book behind him and stands up, bowing in front of his presence. “Your Highness.”

 

“Were you reading?”

 

“I was trying to,” he admits quietly, looking at his book with a down expression, “but I don’t really understand what I’m reading. I enjoy the pictures, though.”

 

“Don’t you know how?” he approaches him and reaches for the book. _Chivalry and Knighthood._ “Do you want me to teach you? I’ve read this before, it’s really a good book. It’d be a waste not to understand the contents.”

 

“There is no need, Your Highness,” he refuses, waving his arms in front of him as if warding off some creature, “I am not worthy to be wasted with your time. Were you about to go riding? Let me assist you.”

 

“I’ve changed my plans. This is an order from your prince: you will allow me to teach you how to read. Follow me outside. It’s not advisable to read in the dark. Your eyes would get bad immediately.”

 

“Wait, Your Highness, please. I’m really not worthy.”

 

He turns and looks at him, asserting a look of absolute authority. “Do you dare defy your prince?” He sees Shintarou gulp. _I did it again._ His mother has always warned him of his tendency to instill fear in people. _People should follow you not because they fear you, but because they respect you. And to do that, you both exert authority and let yourself reach them,_ she has said many times. He sighs and gives him a smile. “I’m not wasting my time if someone is to benefit. Please, do follow me.”

 

Seijuurou brings him underneath a big maple tree on top of a hill inside the palace walls. It is his favorite spot in the whole castle for it gives him a perfect view of the sea outside and the mountains surrounding them behind. It gives him an illusion of freedom he cannot have. He sits on the root and invites Shintarou beside him. The boy shyly obeys, but keeps a considerable distance between the two of them.

 

“Do you know how to write?”Shintarou shakes his head. Seijuurou looks around and finally finds a thin branch. He breaks it into two and gives Shintarou the other half. “I’m going to teach you the basics first. Come closer so you can see.”

 

He follows him. Seijuurou then proceeds to draw figures on the soft soil. It doesn’t take long before Shintarou is in full attention to the things Seijuurou teaches him. And it doesn’t take long before the two boys become friends.

 

 

 

.

When Seijuurou is twelve years old, he had Shintarou promoted from being a stable boy to being his personal servant. They have been closer friends all these years, after all. And it gives him a sense of comfort to have someone he knows and trusts will be the closest person to him.

 

“This is certainly a big jump from my room in the stables,” Shintarou notes as he circled inside his new room located inside the castle itself. His room is next to Seijuurou’s, as per his request for its convenience and practicality. He certainly doesn’t want to wait for Shintarou to do his orders from the stable quarters all the way up to his room. At least, that’s what he told his father.

 

“All the more reason for you to be punctual.”

 

“I’m never late, Your Highness,” he says, arranging his books in the bookshelf. They are all from Seijuurou, stories and folktales that are easy to read. Through his perseverance and Seijuurou’s effective method, he can now read and write well. 

 

Seijuurou comes closer to him and gives him a new book. “Read this.”

 

Shintarou gets it from him and reads the title, holding it mere centimeters from his face. “ _Economics and Market by Shirogane of Kanzaki._ ”

 

“Can’t you read it from a normal distance?” 

 

“Ah, the letters get blurry when I read it farther away.”

 

“You’ve been reading in the dark, haven’t you?” he eyes him suspiciously.

 

“My only free time is at night,” he confesses, “It’s the only way I can catch up with all the things you’ve been teaching me.”

 

“You really are stubborn.”

 

Seijuurou calls for his doctor and has eyeglasses made for Shintarou. After a week, he finds Shintarou on the top of the hill staring far, far away. The eyeglasses suit him, and somehow it makes him look older and wiser than he actually is.

 

“Does your eyeglasses fit you well?”

 

Shintarou turns to him, and he finds his face brighter than usual. He almost never smiles, and so he can say this is his expression of pure joy. “Everything’s so clear. This place is really beautiful, Your Highness. I can even see the ships in the sea, and the trees in those mountains, and the clouds,” he points up at the sky, “Look, it’s like a winged beast coming down from the sky. I’ve never seen them this good before.”

 

“It looks like a woman’s head to me though,” he says, but he smiles. Shintarou’s enthusiasm has got to him, “I’m glad you can see the world in a different light now.”

 

“It’s thanks to you. You don’t know how much you’re changing my life with all these things you’re doing for me.”

 

“But I’m not doing these for you,” he denies, “You know how in the future, I will be crowned as king? And as a king, I need an adviser, someone I can trust and can help me in making decisions to rule this kingdom well. I want you to be that when the time comes.”

 

“An adviser? Me?,” he looks at him unbelievingly, “But surely other people are qualified-”

 

“Why do you think I’m personally teaching you? And that I gave you that book about economics and politics? It’s all to help you be qualified, because I’d rather have you as my adviser than any noble in this castle. They all lie to my face, they think I wouldn’t know,” he steps closer to him and puts his hand on his shoulder, not minding the considerable difference in their heights. It is important to reach out and let his feelings be known, “You’re the only one I can trust, Shintarou.”

 

“‘ _Knights of the king are loyal and brave. They fight bravely and with honor. They would never betray their kingdom, especially their king.’_ ,” it was a quote they are both familiar with, the one written in the first book Shintarou learned to read, “I may not be a knight,” he looks into his eyes before kneeling on the ground and bowing low, “but I swear on my life that I will be by your side as long as you need me.”

 

.

 

“You’re learning surprisingly fast,” he comments as he moves his bishop across the board. He has been teaching Shintarou the game of chess for the past few weeks, and he is learning in an incredible rate. 

 

“Just another testament to how great you are of a teacher, Your Highness,” he moves his knight and eats his bishop.

 

“But, of course,” Seijuurou adds, eating Shintarou’s knight with his queen and consequently checking him, “You still have a far way to go if you wish to win against me.”

 

Shintarou ponders quietly, his eyes roaming around the board. Seijuurou realizes that he’s applying what he taught him before about simulating in your head the next possible move of your opponent. And if they are on the same wavelength, then he knows what’s Shintarou’s next move will be.

 

“I surrender,” he sighs, “I’m going to be in checkmate whichever move I make in my next turn anyway.”

 

“Knowing when you’re lost is a great value in chess, you know.”

 

“It’s a value I’ve learned from winning no games from you. And I have a feeling you’re not even trying. It’s hard to imagine someone defeating you in this game.”

 

Shintarou doesn’t miss the slight change in the prince’s face. “But there is someone better than me: the king, my father. I have yet to win one game from him.”

 

“You’re just thirteen, you have many years ahead of you,” he assures him as he collects the pieces on the board, “I have faith you can beat him in the future.”

 

“But, of course,” Seijuurou smiles, “The real question is if you can beat me in the future.”

 

“I have faith in myself too, Your Highness. We have many years ahead of us. One of these days, I’ll beat you.”

 

“I’m looking forward to that day, Shintarou.”

 

.

 

 

He doesn’t know when it started, but one night, Seijuurou thinks of Shintarou and his heart skips a beat. He thinks how in the future, he’ll always be by his side and it makes him look forward to being the king. He thinks this is that feeling his mother used to talked about that makes everything a little bit easier to handle in life and gives you a reason to smile every time you open your eyes in the morning to welcome the new day. That feeling that makes a certain person’s happiness your own. That feeling that makes you want to give the whole world to a certain person if it is what it takes.

 

 

.

 

The night before his coming-of-age party, he knocks on Shintarou’s door. The boy opens it and gets surprised to see him standing before him. He is donned in his sleeping gown and looks as if he lost his way to his own bed.

 

“Your Highness.”

 

“Can I stay for a while?” he asks, “I can’t sleep.”

 

Shintarou steps aside to make way and lets him pass through first. He sits on the foot of his bed and lies on it.

 

“Are you anxious for tomorrow?”

 

“More likely unnecessarily stressed. Just thinking of all the princesses and ladies I’d have to dance with tomorrow makes me tired already.”

 

“Not to mention all the nobles you’d have to talk to,” Shintarou adds as he prepares tea for the two of them.

 

“Exactly.”

 

“Ah, that reminds me, your clothes are ready. There are five sets of them, you just have to choose. That’s what Riza said, anyway.”

 

“Choose for me. If I do it myself, it’s just another burden.”

 

“Choose for yourself,” he chides, “How do you expect to rule a while country if you can’t even pick the clothes you will wear for yourself?”

 

“Do you dare defy me, Shintarou?”

 

They look at each other, and when they catch each other’s eyes, they laugh at the same time.

 

“Fine,” Shintarou concedes, “I shall indulge you this time.” He brings the cups of tea towards the bed and gives one to Seijuurou. Seijuurou sits up and takes it. Shintarou stares at him as they drink their teas quietly.

 

“You’re worried for tomorrow, aren’t you?” he asks just as he finishes his tea. He takes the spot beside Seijuurou and bumps his shoulder lightly, “Am I right?”

 

“Sometimes it infuriates me how much you know me,” he answers, giving him his empty cup of tea, “Yes, you’re right. I am worried for tomorrow. My father have been expecting highly of me since I remember and tomorrow is the day I officially go out to the world of royalty. My first try to keep up with the expectations around me and there is no room for failure,” he lies back down on the bed and stares at the ceiling thoughtfully, “I do not want to admit it, but I’m afraid of failing.”

 

“You’re a lot stronger than you credit yourself for. And that is quite strong, indeed. I’m sure tomorrow will be a breeze for you, you just have to believe in yourself. You’ve been learning and training all these years after all. Everything’s already been ingrained to you, and it will come naturally.”

 

They talk more about the ways of the court, on how people make their way from the bottom to the top, on how certain things are done as impossible as they sound, on how money is generated without source, on how justice is not served rightfully, and all these underlying truth in the monarch society, until their topic reaches the subject of marriage.

 

“I haven’t been trained to woo a lady,” he yawns, “I think my father expects me to find a possible wife for tomorrow.”

 

“I do think you’ll be awkward in that department,” he agrees, “But you’re charismatic enough. You’re smart and an interesting person to talk to. Your face isn’t that bad, either. I’m pretty sure you’ll be popular with the ladies.”

 

He is met with silence.

 

“Your Highness?” Shintarou turns and finds Seijuurou’s eyes closed, his breathing even. “You just have to fall asleep here, don’t you?,” he mutters to himself. He stands up and carries the prince in his arms. He thinks he’s much smaller like this, and much more peaceful. The tension in his shoulders disappears and he looks just like any normal boy of their age.

 

He carefully brings him into his room and settles him on his own bed. Seijuurou stirs a little, and Shintarou has to stop for a while to not disturb him. His eyes land on the prince’s face and he can’t help but reach out and smooth his hair. 

 

“It’ll be fine tomorrow. I believe in you,” he whispers. 

 

As he was about to leave, Seijuurou’s fingers closes around his wrist. He looks back, and sees him still asleep. But before he has the chance to untangle himself from him, Seijuurou mutters something he almost did not hear. But he does, and he obeys him.

 

_“Please don’t leave.”_

 

.

 

Seijuurou wakes up groggily, his hand feeling asleep. He sees Shintarou sitting beside his bed, their hands connected. He finds it amusing how they perfectly fit against each other, despite the difference in their sizes. He can’t help but think their hands were made for each other. The other boy is lightly snoring, and his eyeglasses are still on his face.

 

“How careless,” Seijuurou mutters as he removes the eyeglasses with his free hand. He hasn’t been able to see him without his glasses for a long time. He’s fully aware how beautiful Shintarou looks all the time despite not trying, but it just strikes him harder now that he is without glasses. He’s no longer the gritty boy he had met years ago. He comes closer to him, and out of impulse, plants a light kiss on his forehead.

 

Shintarou wakes up with Seijuurou’s face still a few centimeters away from him, and they are staring at each other’s eyes. Upon noticing that their hands are still linked, he jerks away in surprise and falls on his butt. He quickly stands up trying to compose himself, but visibly fails.

 

“Ah...I have to go,” he stumbles to the door and out of the room without looking back.

 

.

 

What he did that morning has been in Seijuurou’s mind the whole day. He thinks of it when he accidently bumps into a hurrying servant, consequently making the tower of plates he has been carrying fall to the ground. He thinks of it when he’s being instructed with how the events will flow later that evening that he has to ask thrice to fully understand what has just been said. He thinks how he has not seen a glimpse of Shintarou since that morning and he worries if he will be avoiding him now. That he dreads because Shintarou is his only friend, and despite what he feels, he doesn’t want to destroy the only thing he’s making him happy all these years.

 

He can’t focus throughout the party, and his mind is only half attentive to it. He keeps on looking for some glimpse of his friend, but he does not see him anywhere. Later that night, he reaches his limit and he leaves the party unnoticed. He looks for him in his room but he isn’t there. He goes to the stables and still there is no sign of him. Finally, he goes to the tree at the top of the hill and he sees Shintarou’s broad back from afar. He’s bent over a book and is reading to himself.

 

“Shintarou.”

 

Shintarou stands up at the sound of his voice, and he turns around to bow before him. After all these years of friendship, he still can’t remove that habit of him. “Your Highness, you’re not at the party?”

 

“I could say the same of you.”

 

“I am just a servant. I don’t deserve to be in your parties.”

 

“But it is my coming-of-age party. One would think that the celebrant’s dearest friend should be in attendance, right?” He closes the distance between them and sits on the tree. “What were you reading?” Shintarou sits beside him and shows him the book. _The Art of War._ “Reading again in the dark, aren’t you? You forgot your eyeglasses in my room, here.”

 

“The night sky is clear,” he answers as he takes his eyeglasses and wears them, “I can read from the moonlight.”

 

Seijuurou looks up and sees the moon full and bright, the night sky clear around it. It has been long since he last looked up to the skies, and he remembers that it was that time when Shintarou made him look up to the clouds. He has always been absorbed by his responsibilities that he forgets there is much a higher place up there than the throne he is to inherit. 

 

“I think the moon looks sad all alone up there.”

 

“On the contrary, I do believe it’s smiling down on all the creatures below it. It must be beautiful up high.”

 

“It isn’t always the case.”

 

The wind blows cold and the crickets chirp with it. The night is filled with the music of their surrounding, and the orchestra plays faintly from afar. Leaves slowly fall down from the tree, foretelling of the season that is to come.

 

“So, _Art of War_?”

 

“I’m brushing up on my knowledge. You told me I should study hard so that when you finally become a king, I can be your adviser. Now that you’ve come of age, it seems more important than ever. Is the position still open, Your Highness?”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he laughs, “That position is for you alone.”

 

“I’m glad,” Shintarou smiles slightly. “That’s comforting.”

 

“Ah, about earlier...I apologize for my untoward action. I hope it doesn’t affect anything between us.”

 

“It’s fine really,” he quickly says, “I mean if I were in your position, I would have done the same thing.” 

 

Realizing what he has just said, Shintarou’s face reddens and he turns away. But at that moment, Seijuurou takes Shintarou’s hands. He’s hesitant at first, but Shintarou returns the gesture and covers Seijuurou’s hands with his own. Seijuurou rests his head against his shoulder and closes his eyes. Shintarou leans down and kisses the top of his head. 

 

He never felt this happy for quite some time.

 

“Please don’t leave.”

 

.

 

“But I don’t know how to dance,” Shintarou protests while Seijuurou drags him to his room.

 

“That’s why I’m going to teach you. You have to be there tomorrow.” Seijuurou is to be declared as the crown prince the next day and a ball will be held to celebrate. He has been convincing Shintarou for the past few days to attend it to no avail. “You’re not going to disobey your prince, aren’t you?”

 

“You know, it’s not a good attitude to abuse your authority.”

 

“It’s not like you can refuse me.”

 

“I don’t want to embarrass you tomorrow.”

 

“That’s why you have to have dance lessons, right now. And if you somehow embarrass yourself, don’t think I’ll leave you alone. I’ll save you from your misery,” he turns around and puts his arms around Shintarou’s neck, “You’ve seen this form before, I’m sure.”

 

Shintarou knows this isn’t the proper form of dancing, but defeatedly puts his hand on Seijuurou’s waist. Seijuurou pulls him closer. 

 

“This is the optimal distance between you and your partner. Now, you just have to follow my lead. You just have to sway with the beat. Look at my feet so you know where to go next.”

 

Despite his earlier complaints, Shintarou pays strict attention to the things Seijuurou teaches him. It doesn’t take long before he gets it completely and Seijuurou stops instructing him. He insteadcloses the distance between the two of them, wraps his arms around Shintarou’s waist, and buries his head against his chest. Shintarou sings a familiar song, and he hears the low rumble of his singing, and the fast beating of his heart.

 

Shintarou stops singing somewhere, but Seijuurou still hears a distant chime, a faraway melody, a heavenly song. The moonlight shines down upon them through the glass windows, and Seijuurou thinks he wants to stay in this place forever. Right here in Shintarou’s arms where he feels safe. Right here next to Shintarou’s heart where he feels truly alive and living. It’s right here, standing next to him, that he hears the music that fills his every being.

 

“I love you,” he whispers. 

 

He hears another low rumble from Shintarou, and when he looks up, he meets Shintarou’s eyes. They are glazed, and in that moment, he thinks they are stars. He threads his hand through his hair, and he tiptoes, meeting Shintarou’s lips with his own. Shintarou pulls him closer, their bodies leaving no space between. The music in Seijuurou’s head intensifies and goes into a crescendo, and he can’t just get enough. He clings to Shintarou and breathes him in, kisses him as if it will kill him not to. Shintarou’s fingers dig dip onto his back and he’s mistaken to think that they can’t get any closer. He feels his heart beating fast, and he feels Shintarou’s doing the same, too. And just for a moment, it feels as if they were beating as one.

 

The music fades, and they break apart. Their foreheads touch, and a smile escapes Seijuurou. His heart is still racing, but his mind is in a stand still. He burns this moment in his mind. 

 

Shintarou kisses him one more time.

 

“I love you, Seijuurou,” he whispers against his lips.

  

.

 

Court music resonates in the spacious ballroom and several bodies sway with it. It is filled with joyous laughter and conversation and everything is sparkling, from the glass chandeliers that adorn the ceilings to the jeweled gowns and suits of the guests. 

 

Shintarou sees these all from his spot in the balcony. He was in there just a little earlier, trying to blend in with the high crowd. He even got to dance with three ladies, a task he has improved immensely on. A whole year has passed since that dance lesson with Seijuurou. A whole year since their very first kiss, and they are in love more than ever. However, seeing Seijuurou smile and laugh and dance with all the beautiful women in the ball stirs something inside him and he doesn’t like it and can’t tolerate it. He trusts Seijuurou, of course, and every time they catch each other’s eyes he sees how Seijuurou always look at him in a special way, and he knows he is his. But there is a limit to how much a man can torture himself, and so he leaves the dance floor and instead spends his time leaning on the railing and staring up to the clear night sky.

 

“I’ve been looking for you.” Seijuurou’s voice brings him back from his thoughts. The other boy leans towards the railing together with him, their hips bumping ever so slightly. 

 

“I don’t like seeing you in other people’s arms,” he answers, taking Seijuurou’s hand into his, “If only you’re mine alone.”

 

“You should know it’s not wise being too greedy,” he laughs and brings Shintarou’s hands against his lips, “I constantly remind myself that, too, because there’s nothing I wish for most but to be with you in all my lifetime. That we can, somehow, have a family of our own. Don’t you think of it sometimes?”

 

“I do,” his voice is in a whisper, his eyes drawn back to the night sky, “I always do. That maybe in a different world, we could have our own family. We could raise a son and a daughter. Raise them in a simple home without the pressure of having to rule a kingdom.”

 

“Living a life unbound by walls,” Seijuurou continues, “where they are free to go and swim in the waters and run in the mountains.We could build our house in the village, then maybe the children will meet other kids of their age. Or would you prefer we live somewhere quiet?”

 

“As long as there’s a place for a horse. I bet they would like that.”

 

“And we could teach them to ride the horse. Teach them how to dance so they don’t embarrass themselves in parties they’d be invited in.”

 

“Have the four of us sleep in a single large bed and tell them stories until they fall asleep.”

 

“Kissing them on their foreheads good night and wishing them sweet dreams.”

 

“I could sing the three of you a lullaby,” Shintarou squeezes his hand, “In another life, maybe.”

 

He turns to look at him, meeting his eyes, making sure that he sees the truth in his words, “When I become king, I will make most of this come true.”

 

“Truly?”

 

“We just have to wait for that time to come.”

 

“You know I’d wait a whole lifetime for you.”

 

Seijuurou lets out a small laugh. “I’d love to kiss you right now.” 

 

“But we are at the middle of your party,” he gives him a small smile, his cheeks flushed, “You should go back soon, Your Highness.”

 

“You’re not coming in?”

 

“Honestly, I’d rather be here watching the skies than watching you with other people.”

 

“And I’d rather watch the skies with you than be with other people. Shall we make a run for it?”

 

“Run where?”

 

“To our favorite place, of course.”

 

“As your future adviser, might I just say that leaving your own party isn’t very diplomatic?”

 

“I’ll care about being diplomatic once I am on the throne. But right now,” he glances back to all the sparkle behind him, and all those glamor he’d rather forget, and turns to look at the one person he wants and loves more than anything, “I want to be with you,” and he pulls him and they start to run away from the dazzling lights of the ball and they laugh as they run towards the soft light the moon provides underneath their tree. And he swears by the stars and Shintarou’s smile that he will make the future they dreamt of come true.

 

 

.

 

 

  
Shintarou’s footsteps echo harshly in the cold hallway. He has received a message earlier that the king demands his presence and it isn’t noted why. But he has a faint idea of what it is all about. His relationship with the prince has been going on for a year now, and their friendship a lot longer than that. Not once did he hear anything from the king, so he supposed they are fine for the moment. The message he received says otherwise. The more he nears the king’s quarters, the more knights he sees guarding the way, and the more his anxiety increases. He can only hope it’s nothing but a good, long talk.

 

“Midorima Shintarou,” he says to the pair of knights blocking the doorway., showing the notice he was holding, almost crumpled from holding it in his tense hands, “The king has summoned for me.” They let him pass through.

 

The large portrait of the king is the first to grab his attention. It features the same red hair and red eyes as Seijuurou’s. A small smile is plastered on his face, and it reminds him of the prince in so many ways.

 

“I look so much like my son, won’t you agree?”

 

He turns around to the voice of the king and kneels on the ground. “Your Majesty.” 

 

The king is seated behind a table, a chessboard prepared in front of him.

 

“Come,” he says, “Take a seat. Fancy a game of chess? I’ve heard my son has taught you well, among many other things.”

 

“The prince is indeed an excellent teacher, Your Majesty,” he says as he takes the seat in front of the king. In his side are the black pieces, the white are with the king. “But my skills are in no level as yours.”

 

“But, of course,” he laughs, “A king without the best strategic mind is not a good king at all. If my skills are on a servant’s level, am I to be called a king at all? However, it is not advisable to be too uptight. Sometimes, I have to take it easy. Shall we start?” Pawn. E2 to E4.

 

Shintarou thinks a little then. Pawn B7 to E5. His heart is pounding, and he can’t even look straight at the king. He focuses on the board and the future moves that might happen.

 

“You’ve been friends with Seijuurou for a long time, haven’t you?” Knight. G1 to G3.

 

“Yes, Your Majesty. The prince has been really good to me. I think it is just right to say that he has changed my life.” Knight. B8 to B6.

 

“Ah, I do remember when he asked me to let a certain stable boy be his personal servant. I am initially against it. See, I told him, how can an illiterate stable boy be useful to a prince like you? And he told me he has been teaching you all the things you need to know and that you’re the only one he trusts among all other servants around him. He never asks for much so I decided to agree,” Bishop. F1 to F5, “And did you know that I’ve made an interesting discovery? Go on, ask me what it is.”

 

“What is it, Your Majesty?” Knight. G8 to E7

 

“My son has changed. Of course, you are aware about the queen’s death and how he took it hard. He was lonely for a long time. But since he has been in your company, he’s been a lot better himself. He does spend most of his time in the stables, or really, wherever, as long as you are with him, These things make one think, don’t you agree?” Pawn. C2 to C3. “Do you know which people a king needs around him?”

 

He shakes his head. Pawn. D7 to D6.

 

“A queen, to carry on his bloodline and be his most trusted company,” Pawn. D2 to D4, “His bishops, his rightful advisers that will guide him in ruling his kingdom. His knights, his towers, his pawns, people valuable in protecting him and the kingdom that he rules. Say, Midorima Shintarou, do you fall into any of this categories?”

 

He shakes his head one more time. It feels as if it’s the only thing he can do right now. Bishop. C8 to D7. 

 

“You don’t even count as a pawn. To be frank, you are not worth anything to Seijuurou,” he castles. King. F1 to G1. Tower. H1 to F1. “Do you seriously think you can be his queen and live with him as long as you are alive? How romantic,” his words hurt like a sword, and he is a shieldless Knight. E7 to G6. “Or do you think you can be his knight, protecting him?” Knight. F3 to G5. “Do you even know how to fight? Can you be trusted with his life?,” he answers with Pawn, H7 to H6. “Your company and the relationship the two of you vainly hide will just ruin him,” He is eaten. Knight. G5 to G7. “Do you love him? Give me your honest answer.” 

 

His King. E8 to F7.

 

The king’s Bishop against his King. B5 to C4. Check.

 

“With every fiber of my soul,” he moves his King away. F7 to E7.

 

“Do you want him ruined? Tell me,” Queen moves forward. D1 to H5.

 

“No, Your Majesty,” he is being cornered, both on the board and on this room, driven into a corner of hopelessness. He moves his Queen. D8 to E8.

 

The king’s Queen. H5 to G5. Check.

 

Pawn. H6 to G5. He eats the most powerful piece. But then, he finally sees the trap he has been driven into. He’s been drowning in the words of the king that he failed to see what is in front of him.

 

“Then you understand. It will do the two of you good if you stay away. If you truly...love him, then know your place.” Bishop. C1 to G5. His king is trapped between the bishops. He has been defeated. The king looks up at him and smiles. “Checkmate.”

 

The doors open. Three guards enter the room and stand behind Shintarou.

 

“Just remember, Midorima Shintarou, everything I do is for my son.”

 

He looks quizzically at the king, but before the question forms on his lips, he is thrown to the ground by one of the guards, his arms pulled behind him and shackled.

 

“Midorima Shintarou,” he tries to look up and his eyes meet the king’s, and they were red as blood and cold as ice, “you are arrested for the attempted murder of the king.”

 

.

 

His heart is pounding so loud by the time he reaches his father’s quarters that he thinks it might actually jump off out of his chest. He bears no mind to the guards who tried to block his way and goes to knock on the door of his father’s quarters. It opens, and he sees his father’s face, as calm and stoic as ever.

 

“What have you done with Shintarou?”

 

“Nothing that isn’t necessary.”

 

“And how is sentencing him to death for a crime he did not commit necessary?”

 

“It is necessary for you to stop your foolish romance with him. Did you actually think it would go unnoticed by me? I’ve known for quite some time. You two hide it quite well that’s why I decide to let it pass because I’ve thought it would just be a fleeting whim of yours. But you’re now at the age of getting married but you refuse to choose a rightful bride because of your scandalous affair with your servant. How do you think it would reflect to this family? To the throne? To you? People would talk, and that would hurt you. I’m only doing the most that I can as your father.”

 

“But you don’t have any need to kill him, do you?”

 

“If the root of the problem is not removed, it would just grow back again. Haven’t I told you that before?”

 

“He’s my only friend,” he keeps his voice low but his eyes burn with intensity.

 

“Then make some new ones. You are to be the next king. It’s your duty to establish connections for the betterment of this kingdom.”

 

“Connections are not friends, and Shintarou is not a thing that will be easily replaced by anyone. He has been my side since we were children, since mother died, when _you_ were not there to be the father that you should be. He taught me how it is to be happy. He taught me how to-”

 

“Love?” his father interrupts, his lips curled in a menacing smile, “Being the romantic one now, are we? You should know by now that not every love story ends happily, Seijuurou. Open your eyes to the reality and the responsibilities you have to take. I am not taking any more of your delusional whims.”

 

“A game of chess.” he says, “If I win, he lives. If I lose, then he dies.”

 

His father narrows his eyes at him.

 

“Just how willing are you to make yourself look like a fool for that boy?”

 

“It’s a fair deal, isn’t it?”

 

“If you win, he lives and goes on an exile never to return to this kingdom. And if I win, he will die in two weeks, and you will watch his execution. _Fair dea_ l?”

 

He doesn’t get to have Shintarou in both choices, but he’d rather have him alive than dead. All he can do is accept it.

 

“Then shall we play?”

.

 

 

The game is over in seven moves. 

 

.

 

Seijuurou stares helplessly at the chess board wondering where he went wrong and why in the world did he not notice the trap his father has laid in front of him.

 

“Feign disorder, and crush the enemy,” his father says coldly as he stands up, “It works everytime, my son.”

 

.

 

The cold, damp smell of the dungeons welcomes Seijuurou as he descends the stairs. He can hear the clanging of chains and distant cries of prisoners, and he prays Shintarou’s voice isn’t one of them. He holds the bucket of water he’s carrying tighter and continued on. A pair of guards block the way to Shintarou’s cell, and upon seeing him, lets him pass through without a word. The king may be harsh, but Seijuurou is well-loved by his people.

 

Shintarou lays on the ground tightly bound by ropes on his wrists and ankles. His upper body has been removed of clothing, and even in the dim light, Seijuurou sees the wounds that run on his pale skin. He quietly puts the bucket beside him and sets on cleaning his wounds. He produces a clean cloth and a bottle of disinfectant from his pockets and dips the cloth in the water. 

 

“You’re supposed to rinse the wound first,” Shintarou says in a broken voice. He turns his face to Seijuurou and gives him a small smile, or whatever that is his beat-up face managed to form. “Have you forgotten?”

 

“It just slipped my mind,” he huffs. He kneels beside him and puts him in a more comfortable position, removing the ropes that bound him.They do nothing to keep him. They are only supposed to remind Sejuurou that his father _cares_ about his future. That Shintarou’s life is in his hands, and when day breaks, his life will be no more.

 

He rinses his wounds trying to be as gentle as he can like Shintarou was back on their first meeting.

 

“Wouldn’t your father be angry with you for coming here?”

 

“He’s merciful enough to let me visit you on your last day,” a bitter laugh escapes him, “After all, he has already done the worst possible thing he can do to me. Don’t worry, he will not kill his only heir.”

 

“I just don’t want you in any more trouble.”

 

“Stop worrying about me.”

 

“It’s the only thing I can do now. I’ll be dead by tomorrow anyway-”

 

Seijuurou holds up a hand against Shintarou’s lips.

 

“Don’t. Let us not talk about what lies ahead. Let’s just...make the most of our time right now.”

 

He goes back to cleaning his wounds. He feels Shintarou’s eyes watching him the entire time.

 

“Remember when you fell from your horse and I had to clean your wounds?” he says in a whisper, a slight smile on his lips. “You asked for my name that day.”

 

“I will never forget that.”

 

“Neither will I. You’re just as stubborn as you were before.”

 

“I didn’t change a bit?”

 

“I’ve always watched you from afar. You were always keeping a serious face. But, you smile more now.”

 

“And whose fault do you think that is?”

 

“I wish we can go back to the start,” Shintarou whispers, probably not meaning for Seijuurou to hear. But he does, and he pretends not to. He wishes of the same thing, but there’s nothing they can do now.

 

When he is done, they sit beside each other. He rests his head on Shintarou’s shoulder as they talk. In truth, it is only Shintarou that mostly does the talking. Seijuurou is too focused in keeping in his memory how deep his voice is and how it makes him feel. His voice that manages to reach out to the deepest parts of him, that strengthens him. And to think that this voice will be lost makes him feel lost as well. To lose this man is to lose a big part of himself. He turns and reaches for his face. Shintarou pauses to kiss his palm. 

 

“It’s not your fault,” It’s just like Shintarou to know what to say without him uttering a single word, “I don’t blame you for anything, and I don’t regret meeting you at all. I will die, but I will die happy about the time given to me to know you, and to be with you, and to love you. And I want you to live on for me, and find happiness. I know it will be hard, but you are strong.”

 

“You’ve been my strength this whole time,” his voice comes out as a hoarse whisper, trying to hold back the tears that threaten to spill out. He will not show him weakness when he should be being his strength in his last night.

 

Shintarou looks at him, caresses his face. “Do you remember that night of the party, when we talked about having a family? That never left my mind, and I wanted to give you this when you finally get the crown, but I don’t have the time anymore,” he produces something from his pocket. It takes Seijuurou a few seconds to adjust to the dim light and see that it is, in fact, a silver ring. “I wanted to ask you to...to marry me, but it can’t happen now. That’s why I’m just going to ask you to keep this, to remember me.”

 

Seijuurou offers his hand and Shintarou wears the ring on him. 

 

“I will never forget you,” and he throws his arms around Shintarou and buries his face on his neck. He blocks out every thought he has and chose to burn in his mind how it feels right now to be in his arms. In the silence, Shintarou sings their song, and they remain like that until morning came.

 

.

 

It is raining hard when Shintarou is dragged into the gallows. His vision is even made worse by the absence of his glasses, that which he gave Seijuurou before they parted. It’s better this way, he thinks, so that he doesn’t get to see Seijuurou’s pained expression before he dies. His last image of him is his flushed face and small smile as they shared one last kiss in the dungeons. He wants to bring that image of him to his death, then maybe he can have some peace. He hears being born again takes quite some time, and that face will probably not be a bad company while waiting.

 

He feels eerily calm as he steps up on the wooden platform. Cold rain falls on him and the noose is wrapped around his neck. Even this near to death, his heart beats normally as it should. He supposes this is how it should be when you are about to die without regrets. He has said everything he should, and done everything he could. And that’s why when the floor drops and he falls, it doesn’t feel like dying at all.

_._

 

Seijuurou thinks it is a bad dream. But when he opens his eyes and calls for Shintarou, and he is met with silence, he realizes that all of it was true. 

 

Shintarou is dead.

 

He lifts his hand in the air and sees the ring, and he knows Shintarou lives in his memories and in his dreams. And with this knowledge, he will be the king Shintarou believed he would be.

 

 

 

.

 

 

In his dream, there are two boys lying underneath the shade of an old tree. He dreams of them riding their horses over hills and woods and wide grasslands, their laughter echoing in the open air.

In his dream, there are two men leaning on a balcony, faces turned up to the sky, talking of a future they would have had in another life. 

In his dream he hears a promise.

  _I will find you,_ it says, _We will find each other._

 

 

 

_._

 

 

Seijuurou watches as their car arrives and stops on the parking lot.Shintarou steps out from the driver’s side, blowing air into his hands. Spring has just arrived and the wind is still cold from the winter that has passed.

 

“You’re late,” he scolds him lightly.

 

“The line was unexpectedly long,” he huffs, pushing up his glasses. “And I’m not _that_ late.”

 

The bell rings and the excited chatter of children fills the surroundings. Just in time.

 

They both turn to two children running excitedly towards them. They are both smiling wide and the moment the children reach them, they jump to Shintarou’s open arms.

 

“Daddy!” they laugh as he lifts them up, kissing both of their cheeks. 

 

“Shinjirou, are those stars in your arm?” Seijuurou asks, lifting the boy’s arm for them to see. 

 

The young boy blushes and hides his face on the crook of Shintarou’s neck, which in turn makes them laugh.

 

“Jirou-chan got five stars in maths earlier!” Seiko says proudly, and she raises her arm, “I also got five stars! But these are from science, though.”

 

“Tell us more in the car, then,” Seijuurou smiles at his daughter, “Guess what Daddy bought for the two of you.”

 

The kids’ eyes widen in delight.

 

“Did you buy us doughnuts?” they say simultaneously, looking at Shintarou. Seiko even holds his face between her small palms, squishing his cheeks.

 

“Go and see,” he puts them down, and they race towards the car, their squeals and laughter ringing in the air.

 

“Hurry up!” Seiko called to them, waving her arms in the air frantically, “The car is locked! We need our doughnuts!”

 

Seijuurou laughs just as Shintarou puts his arm around him and pulls him close, kissing the top of his head. He leans in response and breathes him in, taking comfort in Shintarou’s warmth. It still feels like a dream being with him, having this family. He still remembers that day they first met, how it feels like finding something so familiar in the middle of strangeness. That day when Shintarou dropped on one knee and proposed to him, he never felt so happy. He remembers the tears he failed to hide when the adoption papers were approved and he held Seiko and Shinjirou in his arms for the first time.

 

If true happiness exists, then this must be it. 

 

Stories of love do end happily. Some just take more than one lifetime to reach that end, to achieve that which they dreamt of long ago.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> My first (and hopefully not the last, though hopefully next time would be a lot better) long fic. 
> 
> This fic is for Emily who had to undergo through the formation of this story from innocent medieval fluff to Mido's death. And when I wanted to end it that way she convinced me to end it happily. Though she suggested Mido's death at first by cutting his head off, to which I anwered "No."
> 
> Thank you for all the gorgeous MidoAka arts, and for being there to talk about shipping feels with me T_T I hope you upload more arts :3 :3 :3 And do more, of course :3 :3 :3 I'm sorry the mermaid fic is gonna be late T.T
> 
> King Akashi's quote from Sun Tzu's Art of War. Title inspired by the last line of Dante Alleghieri's Paradiso. :3


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